

Vascular Surgery: West Midlands

This information was provided by:
Miss Hannah C Travers, ST7
1. Who is the training programme director?
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Mr Alok Tiwari
2. Please list all the hospitals in your deanery (Vascular Centres)
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Birmingham Vascular Centre, University Hospitals Birmingham, Birmingham
(Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Heartlands Hospital)
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Worcestershire Royal Hospital, Worcester
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Black Country Vascular Network, Russell’s Hall Hospital, Dudley
Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, Shrewsbury
University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire, Coventry
University Hospital North Midlands, Royal Stoke Hospital, Stoke-on-Trent
3. Please list all the hospitals which provide General Surgery rotations for Vascular trainees, as well as the pattern of rotations
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ST3 Vascular Surgery with General Surgery on call at one of the 6 Vascular Centres (listed above)
ST4 General Surgery with General Surgery on call
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4. How is the deanery subdivided? Where do trainees generally live?
No subdivision
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Trainees tend to live in Edgbaston/ Harborne/ Moseley/ Bournville/ Bromsgrove/ Solihull/ Sutton Coldfield depending on initial placements/family commitments (need for schools etc.)
5. How easy is it to commute to different sites?
Easy across Easy across Only appropriate Not easy
all sites most sites in some sites at all
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Car
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Public Transport
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Bicycle
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Car parking availability
6. How are rotations are allocated?
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Allocated at the end of each year
Trainees have the opportunity to give preference for rotations
7. Is there dedicated endovascular training available?
Best endovascular training is at Birmingham Vascular Centre - hybrid theatre access every day, with complex aortic, standard EVAR and hybrid revascularisation, surgeon led IR lists, excellent dedicated vascular training list in IR once per week. Opportunities also for lower limb endovascular work at Royal Shrewsbury hospital. EVAR opportunities at most hospitals.
8. How frequent is deanery teaching and where is it held?
Full day 2nd Friday of every month except August
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Shared training programme between East and West Midlands
Pre-COVID was rotated between deaneries/ locations, since COVID all done via online platform, live and recorded for access at later date. Uncertain of plan to return to face to face
9. Is there an established research infrastructure for trainees?​
Journal Club
Trainee Collaborative
Clinical Trials Unit
Research Meetings/Presentation Days
NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow Post
10. Are there affiliated medical schools?
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University of Birmingham
Keele Medical School
11. Are there any Out of Programme Opportunities available in your region?
-
12. Are there currently any less than full time (LTFT) trainees in your region?
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Yes
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Very supportive deanery for LTFT
13. Do any hospitals in the region have on-site childcare facilities?
Yes, on site nurseries at QEHB and UHCW. Uncertain about other locations.
14. Are there any other facts about your deanery that should be mentioned?
The vascular unit at Birmingham Vascular Centre has links with Royal Orthopaedic Hospital for complex spinal work and sarcoma surgery, along with Birmingham Children’s Hospital for some elective and emergency vascular surgery.